Windblown dust poses a significant hazard to highway safety. Projected global changes, including changes in climate, land use, and land cover, will likely bring more frequent and extreme dust emissions to the southwestern United States, posing a serious threat to transportation safety in the coming decades. Dust contributes to chain-reaction traffic accidents and property damage, however, no known studies have specifically investigated this issue in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Spatial and temporal patterns of dust emission hot spots and their relation to the occurrence of blowing dust and highways are poorly understood. The lack of this critical information hinders highway managers in making informed and timely management decisions when wind events strike. This study will identify and quantitatively assess the spatial and temporal patterns of wind erosion hot spots that contribute blowing dust to the highways of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. It will focus on interstate highways, where investment in surveillance and warning devices is greatest, and where high traffic volumes and speeds make the threat of blowing dust most hazardous. The project will use remotely sensed and in situ observations of land use, soil, and vegetation data to develop an integrated modeling and monitoring system to assist in highway safety management and mitigate the hazardous impacts of dust. The study will (1) classify geomorphic and land cover characteristics and identify current dust source area along main highways; (2) use remote sensing data to retrieve soil and vegetation characteristics to identify potential dust source areas; (3) conduct field measurement of soil and vegetation properties at the wind erosion hot spots for dust emission modeling, and (4) model dust emission from the hot spots under land use disturbance and extreme wind events. Implementation will allow land and highway managers to make informed management decisions and address impacts related to climate change.

Language

English

Project

Status: Proposed

Contract Numbers:

DTRT13-G-UTC36

SPTC 14.1-39

Sponsor Organizations:

University of Texas, El Paso

Office of Research and Sponsored Programs500 W. University AvenueEl Paso, Texas
United States
79968-0587

Texas Tech University, Lubbock

Office of Research Services349 AdministrationLubbock, Texas
United States
79409-1053

The University of Tulsa

Office of Research and Sponsored Programs800 S. Tucker DriveTulsa, Oklahoma
United States
74104-9700

Research and Innovative Technology Administration

University Transportation Centers Program1200 New Jersey AvenueWashington, DC
United States
20590

Performing Organizations:

University of Texas, El Paso

Department of Geological SciencesEl Paso, TX
United States
79968

Texas Tech University, Lubbock

Department of GeosciencesMS 1053Lubbock, Texas
United States
79409-1053

The University of Tulsa

Department of Geosciences441 South GaryTulsa, Oklahoma
United States
74104